Meghan Kowalski
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  • Home
  • Resume
  • Presentations & Publications
  • Portfolio
  • Reading List
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
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The Weekly Wrap: March 19, 2023

3/19/2023

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There is one thing I am going to miss if Twitter disappears: hashtags. This is a tiny, revolutionary thing that groups like ideas and makes them highly searchable.

Yesterday, I wrapped up my attendance at ACRL 2023. This is the conference for academic libraries. It's a place for us to share our research, what we've learned through work, and projects worth replicating. It's a massive conference with many overlapping virtual sessions, panels, presentations, posters, round tables, and lightning talks. Oh, and the exhibit hall was essentially in an airplane hanger. 

It is impossible to go to everything you want to go to. Even with many sessions being recorded there is no way to consume all the content. That's where hashtags come in. Many of my colleagues (myself included), still tweet during sessions. That makes it possible for me to catch the important points from sessions I would otherwise miss. Plus, it creates a conversation where we can bounce and amplify ideas.

While I mostly use hashtags for conferences, I also use them when I'm curious about trends, to ask #LibraryTwitter questions, and to keep an eye on niche things I'm interested in. 

Twitter is problematic, but searchable hashtags are great. I hope they stick around.

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  • "Our allergies are a symptom of our relationship to the places where we build our lives." [Men Yell at Me]
  • This is going to throw me off the next time I need to replace my spices. [CNN]
  • Have you tried marsala wine outside of cooking? [Wine Folly]
  • Whence the garden gnome? [WaPo - gift link]
  • Is "please" no longer polite? [The Atlantic - may be paywalled]
  • Goats on the loose! [NPR]
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  • An explainer on what is happening with streaming services. [Planet Money]
  • Why Silicon Valley Bank collapsed. [The Indicator]
  • We all hold implicit biases. [Hidden Brain]
  • We can't bring back the dinosaurs, but we may be able to help at risk species. [Short Wave]
  • POC and the history of horror films. [Code Switch]
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  • I didn't watch much this week because of my conference. When I was relaxing in my hotel room, I defaulted to the Food Network. I ended up binging a night of Beat Bobby Flay. I like it when the ingredients are sort of out there. How do you make a single pepper the star of a dish? Also, I must be bad luck. I rarely see the challengers beat Bobby. [Food Network]
  • This person is insanely talented. [willsmith]
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  • As much as I love the giant cookies that seem to appear during conferences, I know I should balance them out with vegetables. For dinner on Thursday, I met up with a friend who is a Pittsburgh local. She recommended a place near the hotel that was "convenient and not half bad." I ordered the ahi tuna chopped salad and thought it was delightful. The greens were a bit over dressed but the tuna was seared to perfection. A flavorful outside and still rare and rich interior. I just wish there had been a few more pieces. [City Works]
  • Instead of leaving my hotel room every morning to find breakfast, I opted to bring a box of stuff I grabbed at the grocery store. I found a blueberry, soft-baked muffin bar which was enough to get me to snack time, highly portable, and pretty tasty. The texture was a touch crumbly, but these made for a decent and easy way to start the day. [Nature Valley]
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The Weekly Wrap: March 12, 2023

3/12/2023

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The links are paltry this week. That's because I unexpectedly ended up with another week of solo parenting AND daycare was closed at the end of the week.

The Husband was away for business the first week of March. At that event, he ended up being the first of us to get COVID. We knew we couldn't make it much longer without one of us getting it. Luckily, he knew he was exposed and tested before he came home. He went directly to a hotel to isolate so that kiddo and I would not be in contact with him.

While solo parenting is hard, I found that this time has shown me just how much I am capable of doing alone. (It helped that kiddo was on her best behavior most days.) I was able to do all the parenting, keep the house (somewhat) in order, run a few errands, get work done, and prepare for my weekend away. I'm tired but I'm also incredibly proud of myself. I thought this much time doing it all would leave me exhausted, frustrated, and, honestly, angry. Instead, I'm feeling pretty good. I know I can get through something like this again.

I kept telling myself, "Just make it to Friday." Hubby and I were supposed to go away together for our friend ski trip. Instead of going together, I am here alone. It's nice to have this break, but it's not the same.

This is the longest my husband and I have been apart in over a decade. We've been together for 16 years. In that time, I think the longest we've been apart is five days. This time, it's been 13 with one more night to go. I don't like it. There was one night I just burrowed into a blanket on the couch, put on a rom com, and moped. Admittedly, after learning of his positive test, I cried. Not because of the parenting to come but because I was so damn lonely. I'm an introvert. I like my alone time, but this was too much. 

Thank goodness for FaceTime and texting. That helped make the isolation feel less of a burden. But hubby better be prepared. Tomorrow, I am going to tackle hug him and not go for a while.

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  • Seeing the expected and unexpected in farm country. [The Deleted Scenes]
  • What white women like me can do to decenter whiteness. [Anti-Racism Daily]
  • An illusion of realness. [Link in Bio]
  • How to fix a bland dish. [WaPo - gift link]
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  • Talking about the Oscar Best Picture nominees. [Up First]
  • How your world view shapes your life experience. [Hidden Brain]
  • The influence women of color have on the culture of cooking. [Code Switch]
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  • This week, I basically survived on multiple viewings of The Hating Game. I rented it last Friday, proceeded to watch it 5 times in two days, went ahead and bought it, and then watched it almost every evening the rest of the week. This is a basic rom com but was a comfort watch for me. I read the book the film is based on while the Husband and I were on vacation a few years ago. This was kind of a way for me to feel connected to him while we were apart this week. Plus, it's a pretty dang good adaptation. The scriptwriters made the more stretchy parts of the book's plot work, and the casting of the leads was perfect. They have excellent chemistry. [Amazon Prime]
  • Wow. Just, wow. [Japan House London]
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  • This was a week of easy favorites. One night, I made the kiddo and I caprese naan pizzas. Usually I top these with fresh mozzarella. This week, I went with regular shredded. Still tasty and much more of the comfort food vibe I wanted. I served it with a side salad. Also, I skipped making my own balsamic reduction in favor of a fancy balsamic glaze I already had on hand. [Budget Bytes]
  • Sheet pan meals make dinner prep so simple. I made a favorite of sausage and green beans. I tossed on mushrooms for some added deliciousness. This time, I left the sausages whole. Still good but the flavor of the sausage does not get to the veggies this way. We ate this with some crescent rolls - or "second rolls" as the kiddo calls them. [wonkywonderful]
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The Weekly Wrap: February 26, 2023

2/26/2023

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The Husband and I both have a habit of starting conversations when one of us is trying to go to bed. Something about the clock striking 11 PM drives us to have these deep and productive exchanges. We could have said nary a word to one another all night and - BAM - I start brushing my teeth and we decide we need to talk.

This week, just as I was starting my bedtime process, the Husband brings up a "homework" assignment he has for a work event. He needs to list the top three people he sees as leadership models. That led to us chatting about possibilities and me Googling many ideas. We discussed pros and cons, how options could be perceived, and which leaders actually "felt" like my husband. Before you know it, it was midnight and I really needed to go to bed.

This happens about every two weeks. We've discussed work, parenting, politics, local happenings, travel, emotions, and just life issues. I have no idea what causes us to wait until bedtime to hold these conversations, but I kind of love them. It's when we connect and communicate on a deeper level that goes beyond, "So, how was your day?" 

Maybe there's something about the dark quiet hours that keeps this time sacred. Whatever the reason, I'm just glad we talk.

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  • "But achieving control is not the same as achieving happiness." [Culture Study]
  • Why you get blinded while driving. [Insider]
  • "trains" explained. [Link in Bio]
  • How to clean your walls. This is going on my summer to do list. [Real Simple]
  • What's your internal age? [The Atlantic - may be paywalled]
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  • Fungus zombies are real. [Short Wave]
  • Upending some Hollywood business. [Planet Money]
  • How ancient seeds may save us. [Short Wave]
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  • For as good an actor Chris Pine is, I feel like I should hear more about him. In All the Old Knives, he plays a CIA spook looking to uncover a mole. It's a quiet and subtle performance. This film, which includes Thandiwe Newton and Laurence Fishburne in strong support, is a deliberately paced suspense. The plot jumps seamlessly between time periods to build the tension. This is one of those films you can tell is based on a book. There's an intricacy to the storytelling that comes from having a previous narrative.  [Amazon Prime]
  • Sign me up for this tradition. [@isabellebertolami]
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  • The Husband made herbed gnocchi and mushrooms. It was soooooo goooood. Like, restaurant quality good. This dish has less than ten ingredients, is simple to make, and stuns on the palette. A restaurant would probably drizzle some truffle oil on top. While that sounds excellent, it's not necessary. This dish wows on its own. The main change we made was baking the gnocchi instead of boiling. It gives them a nice toothsome feel. [The Kitchn]
  • For my meal prep this week, I tossed together sweep the kitchen pasta salad. I love that everything gets thrown into a bowl and coated with Italian dressing. Super easy to whip up and has a decent shelf life. I doubled the recipe and it lasted me all week. [Budget Bytes]
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  • We went to a Washington Capitals game in person for the first time since the pandemic started. While our team lost, I was overjoyed to be in the arena once again. Hockey is just better live. Getting to eat a bowl of bulgogi tots as we watched was just icing on the cake. [Instagram]
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The Weekly Wrap: February 19, 2023

2/19/2023

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One thing I'm trying to do this year is simplify. That means unfollowing and unliking things on social media, reducing the number of newsletters I read, clearing out the list of websites I check daily, and other "reduction" activities. It also means trying to care less about certain things. Unfollowing something is easy. Not caring is much harder.

For example, my pictures auto-backup to Amazon. It's a great service that preserves my images if I lose my laptop. Plus, I can share things with family. Occasionally, however, photos get duplicated. When I got a new laptop and installed Amazon photos, almost everything duplicated. In the past, I would go through and dedupe everything. Now, I'm trying to ask myself, "Why? What is the purpose and benefit of doing it?" The purpose is that I like things neat and tidy. Duplicates make me itchy. But, the benefit? There is none. Now, instead of systematically removing duplicates, I'm trying to just let them be. It's hard, but it's saving me so much time. I expect that I'll get used to the new way of doing things over the coming months.

Another example is in my Mint account. Every quarter or so, my husband and I balance our books. That usually means I send him a few lump sum payments to cover shared expenses. In Mint, I used to split those payments out by budget categories. It would take some time to do correctly. Then I asked myself, "What is the benefit of doing this?" There wasn't any! We don't do budgeting by category. I was just making more work for myself. So, I stopped. 

On my simplification journey, letting go is hard. It's really hard to stop doing things as they have always been done. In asking myself to find an actual benefit, it has become easier to start saying no to myself.

How do you stop doing things?

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  • The big business of styling bookcases. [Literary Hub]
  • Email productivity tips to try. [HubSpot]
  • How am I just now learning what paprika is?!?! [@simsimmaaz]
  • I co-sign this story on the need to verify what we read online. [Anti-Racism Daily]
  • Noticing everyday things. [Syllabus Project]
  • Women are not obligated to fix men's problems. *screams in aggravation* [Men Yell at Me]
  • A lot goes in to making good bread. [Wordloaf]
  • I agree with everything in this essay about liking the movie Titanic. [homeculture]
  • I rarely sauce my pasta correctly. [Serious Eats]
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  • We need to improve pulse oximeters. [Short Wave]
  • Great. Now I want truffles. [Gastropod]
  • This should definitely not be legal. [The Indicator]
  • This week, in things I learned about music, the start of the LA punk scene. [99% Invisible]
  • One of my favorite podcasts is coming to an end, but they wrapped up with a great clip show. [By The Book]
  • AI chatbots can get really creepy really fast. [The Daily]
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  • We opted to continue our LOTR binge by watching all three films in The Hobbit Series. I read the book in college and, honestly, I don't remember most of the stuff from the films happening in the book. The films are enjoyable but it feels like they could use an editor to cut out some of the bloat. (Perhaps there should only be two films...) We didn't even watch the extended versions this time. [HBO Max]
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  • This week for meatless Monday, I made grilled vegetable and goat cheese tacos. I love any excuse to eat goat cheese. It's so creamy, tangy, and delicious! I roasted off the vegetables on a sheet pan with a premade blend of southwest spices. Served this with a side of canned corn. So easy. So good. [Pure Wow]
  • It's been ages since I made ground orange chicken. It's deceptively simple. The most complicated part is remembering to get all the ingredients in the sauce. I accidently overcooked the sauce and need to add some water to thin it out. Still tasted great. We served this over rice with a side of roasted chopped broccoli. [Dinner Then Dessert]
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The Weekly Wrap: February 12, 2023

2/12/2023

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Every now and then, I get the urge to rejigger some of my productivity methodology.

I've got the urge right now and I'm trying to take advantage of the fact that I am an Inbox Zero person. I can't stand when there are items in my inbox. I really can't stand when I "flag" those items as urgent.

I'm jumping on this reaction as a way to help me to tackle monthly tasks that I put off constantly. For example, cleaning my makeup brushes. That should happen monthly. (Probably a lot more often, actually.) But, I always put it off because it's one of those needle tasks that doesn't seem all that important in the moment.

Now, for tasks like this, I create a recurring calendar alert. Not only do I see the task on my calendar, it sends me an email as a reminder. I then flag that email as urgent. My itchiness at having things linger in my inbox has kept me on top of these small to do items. Plus, I get an extra burst of joy when I delete the reminder email once the task is done.

What productivity tricks work for you?

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  • What kind of perfectionist are you? [NPR]
  • A remarkably tender essay on cooking, feeding, and familial love. [homeculture]
  • Tools to help you write. [Super Library Marketing]
  • The problems of protectionism. [The Atlantic - may be paywalled]
  • How to find lunar time. [Nature]
  • The many different styles of book journaling. [Book Riot]
  • "Car brain" is a real and measurable thing. [Greater Greater Washington]
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  • I feel this episode about the problems of the American daycare market in my bones. [Planet Money]
  • Concerns about data collection and sharing science. [Short Wave]
  • This week, I learned about how much I don't know about music history. [99% Invisible]
  • What are we going to do with the empty downtowns? [The Daily]
  • Language, history, and whiteness. [Throughline]
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  • Lacking any desire to watch a particular film, we settled on The Gentlemen. It's a Guy Ritche flick headlined by Matthew McConaughey with a marvelous supporting class. McConaughey plays a drug dealer in England trying to get out of the game. Those who want his empire use whatever means necessary to try to replace him. Since it's a Ritchie film, it's very, well, Ritchie. The filmmaking overtakes the narrative (and said narrative includes some unnecessary racist tropes). [Netflix]
  • What do you watch when you don't want to watch anything new but, also, you want to watch something you can sink your teeth into? Why, the Lord of the Rings extended editions, of course! Over three days, we watched each extended cut film in the trilogy. The acting and storytelling all hold up. Shockingly, the CGI is less good than I remember. Still love this ent scene. [HBO Max]
  • While the husband was out of town, I watched the Harry and Meghan limited series. It's exactly what you'd expect from people trying to regain control of their narrative. I don't mean that in a good or bad why. This just seems like the result of crisis communications. [Netflix]
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  • I love egg rolls. This week, I made spicy shrimp egg roll in a bowl to try to recreate the flavor at home. It was a very tasty, but not too filling. I probably would have needed to double the size to make this a true entrée. But, the flavors were spot on. The spicy aioli has quite a kick. [Paleo Running Momma]
  • It's been ages since I cooked anything tortellini based. Spinach tortellini skillet is an easy weeknight meal that made quite a lot of leftovers. It reheated quite well for lunch the next day, too. I accidentally bought too small a can of tomatoes so I added some water to oomph the amount of sauce. I don't think that diminished the flavor in any way. I also used an entire bag of spinach because what am I going to do with half a bag of spinach? [Budget Bytes]
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The Weekly Wrap: February 5, 2023

2/5/2023

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There is a tile floor in my office that is lots of little squares. The little squares are blue and yellow. Each color is clustered together to make larger squares that are each 8x8 tiles big.

When I'm in that room, my brain always tries to make new blocks of patterns. This one will be 4x4 of both colors. That one will be a long row. Another will have a four quadrants. Another will be 75% of one color and 25% of the other. ​My brain can't help but see new shapes.  

I'm not sure if this my brain trying to amuse itself during a quiet period or some weird byproduct of spatial mathematics. I'm not bothered by it; I just think it's interesting that this is how my brain works. I notice it with wall paper and carpet designs too. Something about patterns makes my brain go, "Okay, but what if....?"

Do you ever try to make patterns out of other patterns?

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  • I understand all these idioms. Ergo, I am old. [Lifehacker]
  • We are a closed captions on household because no matter what we try, the dialogue is always too quiet. [The Guardian]
  • The comfort of Kraft mac and cheese. [Catapult]
  • A murmuration of starlings and the destruction they can cause. [WaPo - gift link]
  • Why the Gen Z Shake works. [The Tab]
  • Not so sure I like knowing what viruses keep epidemiologists up at night. [NPR]
  • Impressionists may have been painting air pollution. [WaPo - gift link]
  • Making Dijon mustard. [Atlas Obscura]
  • You know how we solve this problem? Stop degrading and discounting feminized traits like sharing emotions, being vulnerable, and asking for help. The staggering disfunction of toxic masculinity comes down to the fear these kinds of men have of being called "girly." All humans are emotional. It's the engrained socialization of men bottling the hurt and fear up that cause problems. No one should be afraid to cry or show they are in pain. [The Atlantic - may be paywalled]
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  • Why not having a gas stove is no longer a deal breaker for me. [Short Wave]
  • How to get started with meal prep. [Life Kit]
  • The battle for water from the Colorado River. [The Daily]
  • Finding groundbreaking economics on Groundhog Day. [Planet Money]
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  • I love it when I find a movie that has an unexpectedly good cast. We turned on 12 Strong since it was something that looked semi interesting. Every time a new cast member was introduced, I went, "I love that guy!" This is just a generic war movie, but the attention to detail was good. I also appreciated that they did not explain the military lingo. Plus, a constant feeling of unease and anxiety permeated the film which made it far more believable. [Netflix] 
  • The husband is going out of town for work and we didn't want to start a new long series to binge. As an interim fix, we put on Chernobyl which I have been wanting to rewatch. It's just so darn good - rich in detail and (adequately) historically accurate. Always worth a second view. This round, I realized that the accident happened while we were alive. In my mind, it happened "long ago." To me, "long ago" is before my birth, not two years after it. [HBO Max]
  • I feel vindicated that my ears work fine. It's the bad sound in movies that's the problem. [Vox]
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  • We made sheet pan gnocchi with sausage. This is just a slight spin on the other sheet pan gnocchi dishes we've been eating. What made this time great was that we used pork Italian sausage instead of chicken. It's been a long time since we've eaten pork sausage and it felt extra luxurious. I also amped the flavor by tossing everything in Tuscan herb olive instead of plain. Plus, I doubled the red onion because it's a flavor I very much enjoy. [The Seasoned Mom]
  • It's been awhile since we had tofu and I wanted to try something new. Turns out the peanut tofu with rice was just a remixing of flavors I've had in other recipes. Still tasty, but not quiet the new flavor I was looking for. It did reheat well for lunch the next day. [Budget Bytes]
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The Weekly Wrap: January 29, 2023

1/29/2023

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We're having a milder winter, but my body doesn't seem to know that. 

Most days, while working, I am freezing. I'll be wearing long pants, a cozy sweater or top, and full coverage shoes or slippers. I still fill chilly. So, I toss on a lap blanket. Still cold. On goes the space heater or up goes the heat. Still cold. So, I throw a coat or extra sweater on top of everything. Only then am I mildly warm. 

If there is  a sun beam available, I will do everything in my power to station myself in it. I'm a cat who moves with the day. It's a good thing I've got office chairs on wheels.

In the evenings, I wear my warmest PJs and practically burrow into a pile of blankets on the couch. I toss my hoodie over my head and hunker down to try to reduce the amount of exposed skin. It's not until right before bed that I feel warm enough to peel off a layer.

My body seems unable to produce and trap body heat. I've been known to cuddle my husband with the sole purpose of stealing his. (He is not a fan of my extremities in the winter because they are ice blocks. Oftentimes, I get swatted away.)

I'm counting down the days until warmer temperatures arrive. Tell me I'm not the only one who seems to be cold blooded.

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  • How to schedule your emails. [WaPo - gift link]
  • Terminology matters. [CNN]
  • The defensive recession mindset. [Culture Study]
  • How to apologize better. [NPR]
  • Kids sleep overs can be good. I loved all the ones I went to. [The Atlantic - may be paywalled]
  • A generational meme. [The Atlantic - may be paywalled]
  • "A wealth of research has shown that masculinity is among the most fragile of identities..." [HBR - may be paywalled]
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  • So quiet you can hear a pin drop... and your heart beat. [The Daily]
  • I love octopuses. [Terrestrials]
  • We need to raise taxes. [The Daily]
  • How easily we're persuaded. [Hidden Brain]
  • Long looooong distance running and its meaning for South Africa. [99% Invisible]
  • This look at Empress Anna's ice palace has wonderfully immersive sound editing. [Atlas Obscura]
  • The power of Pemberley. [Hot and Bothered]
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  • I'm not sure if Gamer was weird, stupid, disturbing, or all three. Gerard Butler stars in this thriller about a con who serves as an avatar in a live, first-person shooter video game. He's controlled by a player and, if he survives 30 rounds, earns his freedom. The filming was very art house style and came across as almost manic. I'm still debating what I think about this one. There were attempts to tell allegories but it's all very overwrought. [Amazon Prime]
  • We finally got around to watching Top Gun: Maverick and I can't believe I waited so long. It was the most enjoyment I've felt watching a movie in years! On its own, the script is lackluster and full of trite one liners. But that doesn't matter. There are layers to the acting, shockingly powerful performances (with phenomenal casting - still can't get over Rooster), and thrilling action scenes. This film is entirely fan service and all the better for it. I think it works even better than the first film but that is only because the original existed. This is likely to be one film I rewatch all the time. And, you know what, I think it deserves its Oscar nod. [Amazon Prime]
  • A delightful collection of shorts where a romance novel author argues with her heroine. If you read romance, this will have you cackling. [Jill Bearup - reader submission]
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  • We made grilled portobello, bell pepper, and goat cheese sandwiches for the first time in a looooong while. They were a touch goat cheese forward because we forgot to take the the log out of the fridge to soften. That lead to more mushing the cheese on than spreading. I've also learned, through trial and error, that it's easier to make the sandwiches if you quarter and flatten the pepper as opposed to cutting strips or doing full halves. [Cooking Light]
  • Made a new recipe this week - southwest skillet ragu. It was kind of like a spicier twist on Hamburger Helper. I accidentally bought ground chicken instead of ground beef but it still was tasty. Not as meaty feeling, but tasty nonetheless. Definitely recommend using a larger pan than you think you need. I almost ran out of space. [The Kitchn]
  • For my lunch meal prep, I tossed together this Lebanese lemon-parsley bean salad. It was so hearty that I forewent the pita on the side. Next time, I am going to double the amount of cucumber. I wanted more of that pop of freshness in the mix. [Cookie + Kate]
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The Weekly Wrap: January 22, 2023

1/22/2023

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Warning - I'm going to rant about Twitter. 

Now, I mostly like Twitter. Even through the Musk takeover, it's generally been a good tool for me. I've always highly curated my feed thus avoiding the worst of the muck. For me, Twitter is an information awareness tool. I can stay up-to-date on topics and people that matter to me. Since I'm particular about what I see, all of the other shenanigans have mostly passed me by.

This week, Twitter changed the platform's feed layout. I hate it. There are now two feeds - one that is all about the algorithm and another that is for "Following" but seems to miss half the stuff the people I  follow share and comment on.  To get the full picture, I have to toggle between the two feeds. That puts my content at the mercy of algorithm. I HATE IT!

All I want is to see the content created and shared by the people I choose to follow in reverse chronological order. Is that so hard? 

Listen, Twitter, I will give you promoted ads. I'm fine with that. But stop burying what I want to see under a pile of shit I didn't ask for. I know you're trying design things to keep me scrolling, but all you are doing is overwhelming my brain and making me want to run away.

This issue is the same across other social media - namely Instagram and Facebook. However, on those feeds, I still can narrow down to who I choose to see. That now seems impossible on Twitter. 

I'm about to go through my annual purge and clean up of my online accounts and, for the first time, I'm seriously considering jumping ship on an entire platform.

When something becomes so focused on the algorithm that you lose all control, it's time to leave.

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  • Bar soap versus body wash. [Real Simple]
  • It's time to upgrade the pizza box. [The Atlantic - may be paywalled]
  • Stop widening highways. It doesn't work. [NYT - may be paywalled]
  • Ridding the government of actual red tape. [WaPo - gift link]
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  • The power of citizen science. [Short Wave]
  • Can placebos be cures? [Hidden Brain]
  • A delightful interview about lovely ideas. [By The Book]
  • Are we at risk of losing human writing? [The Indicator]
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  • After reading a ranking of Tom Hanks' films, I was in the mood to watch some Tom Hanks. Captain Phillips was available as a free streaming option for us. I've seen the movie before and it's still impressive on rewatch. I find the last 15 minutes to be some of the best acting I've seen out of Hanks - or anyone for that matter. [HBO Max]
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  • Tried my hand at homemade stromboli again. This time, I went vegetarian with mushroom and spinach. The flavor was excellent but the middle of stromboli was a little gummy. The filling was rather wet and I think that prevented the dough from fully cooking. Next time, I'll cook it longer to dry things out. [Skinny Taste]
  • Broke out a slower cooker classic for the holiday Monday: white chicken chili. This one is good as written but I think I will add frozen corn next time. That sweet pop would be an excellent addition. I like to eat this one with tortilla chips. The scoop variety worked great. [Budget Bytes]
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The Weekly Wrap: January 15, 2023

1/15/2023

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You might not want to watch movies with me.

Well, don't watch movies with me if I've a) seen the before or b) know a lot about the subject material. I have a horrible habit of providing running commentary. (My poor, poor husband...)

For example, this week, we tossed on The Day After Tomorrow. This is no masterpiece, but we do love disaster flicks and this one ranks at the top of our rewatches. In about fifteen minutes, I talked about a continuity error I caught; my love for the librarian who is still working; how one character, in reality, would be called "Doctor" and not "Professor;" and the impossibility of a freighter making it that far through city streets. My husband, used to this, mostly smiled and nodded.

I have no idea what drives me to do this. Maybe I just want to talk. Maybe I feel like showing off. Maybe I think my commentary might enhance understanding of the movie. I just seem incapable of not talking when I think I see something interesting. 

To my credit, I (usually) don't do this with new movies or in theaters. 

Still, you've been warned. 

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  • Making art from shipping glass. [Colossal]
  • Roman concrete may be self-healing. [CNN]
  • What we keep of our teenage selves. [Culture Study]
  • How to build realistic fake windows. [Apartment Therapy]
  • Getting started with book journaling. [Book Riot]
  • On dignity in death. CW: assisted suicide [The Audacity]
  • Let's start funding bold innovation and research. [The Atlantic - may be paywalled]
  • Write-in candidate results are always amusing. [DCist]
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  • Why we need relationships that cross the socio-economic divide. [Hidden Brain]
  • Bridges have personality. [Atlas Obscura]
  • How to enjoy your next art museum visit. [Life Kit]
  • Ice worms! [Short Wave]
  • Viewing It’s a Wonderful Life through an economic lens. [Planet Money]
  • On changing demographics and the economy. [Hidden Brain]
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  • We watched the college football championship game on Monday. As a Notre Dame fan, I rooted for TCU just in the hopes that there wouldn't be another SEC victor. It was a total blow out for Georgia which made for a rather dull game. That set me Googling and I found that most of the recent championship games have been blow outs. The NCAA might want to reconsider this format. [NCAA]
  • We're nearing the end of our Dawson's Creek viewing and I'm glad. All of the atrocious pedagogy that happens in this series drives me batty. Teachers cross boundaries and their ethics are iffy. They are bullies who demean and abuse their students. Professors set unreasonable assignment expectations with the express intention of embarrassing specific students. They brag about how many people fail their class as if it's a badge of honor. No! It just means you're a bad teacher. It's so aggravating to see this portrayed as normal - as a way to "push" students to do better. It's not. It's just awful teaching. [HBO Max]
  • A wonderful interview with a chef in Bangkok. [Aden Films]
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  • This year, I'm making more of an effort to use up the random ingredients in our fridge. I even added an inventory to our meal planning document. This week, we had some celery and parsley to use up. That lead me to make tuna, celery, and white bean salad for my lunch meal prep. It was so darn tasty I want to make it again very soon. [WaPo - gift link]
  • After all the holiday beef based meals, we're still going heavy on the veggies. Sesame chicken and green bean stir fry was made even more veggie forward in that we served it over cauliflower rice. I really liked the sauce on this one. It was a bit of a longer prep for a weeknight meal. I might reserve this one for days I have more prep time at home. [Ambitious Kitchen]
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The Weekly Wrap: January 8, 2023

1/8/2023

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I spent the second half of my work week drafting my chapter for the upcoming book Person-Centered Management. I threw a proposal out on a whim and was shocked to find that it was accepted. My topic - asking five specific questions regularly of your employees - is nothing groundbreaking. The chapter is more reflective and less theoretical or research-based. That's why I found it hard to write.

The outline I developed and received feedback on was extensive. Normally, this makes things easier to write. I simply extend my outline's bullet points into complete sentences with examples scattered throughout. That was not the case here. I found myself stuck in a quagmire of tone and word choice. Was I being to personal or not personal enough? Did I need a specific example or would generalizations do? Was my writing too vague? Did I repeat my points too much?

I also second-guessed the entire premise of the chapter. (That was just imposter syndrome rearing it's ugly head.) Finally, I decided to write what felt good in the moment. That's what ultimately led me to "complete" my draft. It's 500 hundred words over the max limit, but it's done.

I'm going to let this brain dump of writing sit for a few days before I start slicing and dicing in editing. I relish a good red pen session to make writing better. (I expect a lot of red penning with this one.)

The editorial process for the book is extensive. The first draft is due Friday, there is an optional peer-review I signed up for, there is a second draft, and then there is the final draft. I'm going to be wrestling with this 3,000 - well, 3,500 at the moment - words for awhile.

How do you write?

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  • Should we stop using these words and phrases? [NPR]
  • The new year is a great time to check that your smoke detectors are working. [Apartment Therapy]
  • The power of everyday awe. [The Atlantic - may be paywalled]
  • *clears throat* It's nurture not nature. [@impact]
  • Planner journals are for dreaming big. [NPR]
  • We need public daycare. [The Atlantic - may be paywalled]
  • C-SPAN was must watch TV this week. [WaPo - gift link]
  • The reason why you let your pipes drip in the winter. [Lifehacker]
  • The problem of writing in college is not AI, it's that higher education has become too transactional. [The Chronicle of Higher Education - may be paywalled]
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  • If you have a resolution to organize, this episode is for you. [Life Kit]
  • More of this building reuse please. [Atlas Obscura]
  • How much of the planet are humans entitled to? [The Daily]
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  • After two months off, we jumped back in to watching Dawson's Creek. We've got one season left. What I've learned about this show is that most episodes are just fine - there's nothing special or plot driving. But interjected are the occasional very good episode where many things happen and the plot finally progresses.  [HBO Max]
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  • Since Monday was a holiday, I made a dish that takes longer than your typical weeknight meal. Spinach and feta turkey meatballs are not hard to make, but forming meatballs is not something I want to do on a work day. This time, I baked the meatballs on a sheet pan. They didn't get the crust you get from pan searing, but it was much easier. We served this one with egg noodles and roasted zucchini. [Budget Bytes]
  • I made mu shu chicken this week. According to my personal tags in Evernote, I've made this recipe before, but I had zero memory of it. The kiddo helped prep this time. She beat the eggs and mixed the sauce. The dish was good, but we needed to add some extra hoisin drizzle to really oomph the overall flavor. [Weelicious]
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